September 17, 2019
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According to a new study, one in 16 U.S. women report being raped as their first sexual experience. These experiences can lead to adverse outcomes for the individual's health.
Women who consider their first sexual experiences to be rape are common, according to a new study that looked at the long-term implications on those women affected.
The research published in JAMA of Internal Medicine found one in 16 U.S. women, between the ages of 18 to 44, described their first sexual encounters as "forced sexual initiation." The World Health Organization defines forced sexual initiation as "unwanted sexual intercourse that is physically forced or coerced."
Researchers examined data of 13,310 American women collected through the National Survey of Family Growth and found 6.5% of women reported they had been physically forced or coerced into sex their first times. Those women were on average 15.6 years old when the incidents occurred. The average age of the perpetrator was six years older.
Women who did not describe being forced into having sex the first time they had intercourse were on average 17.1 years of age.
Of the women who experienced rape, 46% were reportedly held down, 56% reported the men used verbal pressure, 26% said they were physically threatened, and 25% were physically harmed. Twenty-two percent of the women reported being drugged.
The study also found that women who were raped the first time they had sex were 11.2% more likely to have unwanted pregnancies during their lives and 6.8% more like to have an abortion women who were not rape the first time they had sex.
They were also more likely to develop gynecologic issues, like endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, and problems with ovulation or mensuration.
Women who reported being raped also were more likely to report drug use, fair or poor health, and difficulty completing tasks due to physical or mental health conditions.
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